


Magical Creatures Online

by orphan_account



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: F/M, M/M, Peter is insane but not evil, Video Game AU, also lots of people commit suicide, and Stiles and Derek are both hiding things but Stiles' takes the gold, cuz reasons, kate is insane AND evil, matt is creepy creepy, thats what the warning is for
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-23
Updated: 2014-02-21
Packaged: 2018-01-09 18:49:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1149532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Peter Hale traps everyone in game because he thinks it would be fun. Derek, one of the testers (and Peters nephew), is trapped inside the virtual game along with about a million other gamers. He keeps the fact about his relationship to Peter a secret, not joining packs in fear of being recognized. It was bad enough that beta testers were being hunted down, but add to the fact that his uncle was the one who trapped them here for FUN, yeah, he liked his life thank you. And he was doing pretty well, until a Mortal fell out of the sky and landed on him. Said Mortal was named Stiles and was basically the noisiest person Derek had ever seen. He was also the only one who wasn't afraid of him at first sight. Even Erica, who worked at a port stop town, shied away when they first met. And Derek thought he was the only one who kept secrets around here.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Magical Creatures and How to Become One

**Author's Note:**

> For now I'm going to give the general overview to see how y'all react to this idea. 
> 
> For those of you who watch anime, this is based off of Sword Art Online, but only slightly. 
> 
> If y'all want to ask about what happened to my Bones AU, please don't as that is a sore subject (i.e the person who requested it basically said it sucked so I took it down)

Druids- basically mages, but work with runes instead of spells; usually team up with wolf packs as their power is strongest with them; can only equip daggers as weapons; upon reaching level 70, the Spark stabilizes and grows no more ( meaning no new runes to work with); there are 210,000 Druids in game  
NPC's: 5 (preside over the 5 major cities in temples)

Werewolves- not moon oriented, but stuck in half form until achieving level 80 (usually carry knives instead of swords, preferring to use claws as weapons instead) ; Alphas are pack or 'guild' leaders and have red eyes identifying them as such, Betas have gold eyes, and Omegas have grey eyes; stronger in packs, but can be better and faster alone; heal faster than other species, but have wolfish features as a side effect even when in 'human' form; 550,000 Werewolves in game  
NPC's: 10 (bosses used for lower levels)

Elves- can perform low level magics, but make up for it by wielding swords better than any other race; very good in hunting parties due to the ability of attracting monsters (the 'smell' given off gets stronger when leveling up); do not mesh well with packs or 'guilds' and are usually loners unless on a hunting party, preferring minimal contact; can summon low level monsters to help defend against enemy attacks when cornered by an overwhelming amount of enemies; 90,000 Elves in game  
NPC's: 12 (guardians of the 'Lost City' for in game quest)

Mortals- all rounder type which can use any type of weapon and has little to no magics ability; levels up the fastest to be fair and has the capability to equip more than one item at a time to be fair as well; healing rate is average, but increases when in a guild (cannot join a pack, but can travel with werewolves and befriend them); once reaching level 100, sword options double, though may only equip one weapon at a time; 350,000 Mortals in game  
NPC's: 500,000 (used to maintain cities and work as grocers, forgers, etc.)

Dwarves- the best at defense in every aspect, such as armor or defensive magics- can use only this kind of magics; usually use axes but can use broadswords if needed (axes range from double axes to normal axes, depending on the quest); defense goes up with levels, but stops after reaching level 120; friendly with all races and can join any guild (no other race besides werewolves can join packs), but tend to stick to either Mortals or own kind; 200,000 Dwarves in game  
NPC's: 20,000 (usually stay in mining towns while working and managing the shops)


	2. So Your Uncle is an Evil Person

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> what happened the first five days and some startling facts and figures.
> 
> ( I just saw that i used the German way of counting with money, the '.' Instead of ',' so it looks like '20.137' instead of '20,137'. But i'm not going to change it because i'm lazy and there are too many. Just thought you ought to know. Toodles)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bonus prize (maybe a fic or pic) to whomever guesses Stiles' secret correctly.  
> (when he appears and such, just warning you now, ahead of time because i know i'll forget when he DOES appear so....)

The day of the Magical Creatures Online launch, five things happened. One, Derek Hale actually purchased a game made by his uncle. Two, Peter Hale changed the layout design of the game, rendering the last two months of checks and beta player information useless. Three, a program was triggered in the head consoles of everyone who bought Magical Creatures Online, making the removal of said head console impossible. Four, a second program was triggered in game, deleting the log out procedure. Five, the world was finding out that 1.4 million people were now inexplicably trapped within the game of Magical Creatures Online, with no way to get them out.  
  
As the world was figuring out what would later be called the greatest setback to video game companies everywhere, the 1.4 million people in game were recalled from their wanderings and in game quests to the biggest city in the game, which happens to reside in the center of the games land. The city was called Hardi, and to those who weren't in the know about the games inner workings, just thought that this was the opening act of the game. Those who knew differently, however, including a certain Derek Hale, wondered what grand scheme the creator had come up with this time.  
  
In fact, several who were close to Peter Hale, the creator of Magical Creatures Online, made notes to themselves stating that they would give him a piece of their mind about changing the programs in the game when they logged off for the day. Though few suspected something, no one knew of what Peter Hale intended that day when he gathered them to Hardi.  
  
Several rumors were already floating around about what could be happening at this moment, which Derek Hale noted with some humor. What was most heard were outraged shouts, as players shared their anger about being pulled from one in game quest or another. Just as Derek Hale was going to log out to go over to his uncles office to ask what he meant to accomplish by doing this, the sky darkened, effectively quieting the players as they all looked upwards.  
  
A moment later, Peter Hales pixelated face hovered over the city, his smile immediately calming most of the angered players. The calm, however, was disturbed a second later as the giant face of Peter Hale began to laugh manically. That was when several players discovered that they could no longer leave the city limits, which sent a ripple through the crowd. Derek Hale, on the other hand, was now shying away from other players, assuming that what was coming next would not be good.  
  
"Hello, my fellow gamers. First off, I would like to thank you for purchasing my game. I hope that you will enjoy the efforts me and mine went through to design and create it. Secondly, I would like it if each and every one of you accessed your menu screen." Peter Hales voice boomed over the city. Everyone was buzzing with excitement to see what treat Peter Hale would leave them, as he tended to do in his previous games.  
  
"Now then, if you could, please select the item placed in your gift box." Peter Hale commanded. Derek Hale took out the shard of mirror, holding it as if it would explode at any second. "Thank you," Peter Hale continued, his voice oozing the fake pleased tone Derek Hale was used to. Just as he was about to drop the shard, the crowd collectively gasped as their persons changed from the specifications they put into the game system, to the ones they had in real life. Derek Hale watched on as he grew to the height and physique he was, his mind spluttering along with the rest of the players.  
  
"Now that we got that out of the way, no more pleasantries from me dearies. I'll have you know that right about now the world is in upheaval at the startling fact that you all cannot be roused from this little game of mine." Peter Hale took a pause to allow that information to sink in before screens popped up everywhere in the sky depicting what he had just explained. "I want you all to know several things, okay? One, if you look at your menu, you will find no log out button. Two, to be fair, I've set everybody to their original bodies. Fun, yes? I feel like there was a third...hmm...." The giant face of Peter Hale now took a contemplating feature, but barely anyone took notice as their sole focus was on the news before them.  
  
That was when some players started to vanish. First they flickered and then disappeared, which was when Peter Hale found what he was looking for. "Oh! Duh, excuse me for the memory lapse, I've just gotten used to this form. Third on the list for you all to know, if you die in the game, you die in real life. Also, as an added bonus (because I'm just that dedicated to my customers), I've made it to where if someone from the outside tries to remove your head console, you also die. Which is what you are seeing right now. Isn't this great?"  
  
This is when Derek Hale is immensely grateful of the fact that he is basically a hermit, because no one really knows his face, and that means that no one will come after him looking for his death. At least, that is what Derek Hale hopes, because otherwise he won't live for long. "Alrighty, now that I've explained everything, there is one more thing I'd like to add. In order to get out of here, you have to find the Lost City of the Elves (P.S, the Elves that aren't NPC's don't know where it is), and defeat whatever is inside the city. Should be easy, right?" Peter Hale adds.  
  
Derek Hale, on the other hand curses his uncle silently. Derek Hale himself suggested the idea of a lost city, and Peter Hale had taken to it, but even when Derek Hale was a beta player he couldn't find out where his uncle had hidden the damn city. "Well, then, now that I've said everything that's important at the moment, I'll leave you dearies to it. Farewell all!" Peter Hale signed off, the giant face of his disappearing from the sky along with the news clips of what was happening outside of the game.  
  
Everyone stood in silence for a few seconds, letting all the information hit them. And then, just as Derek Hale slipped out of Hardi, mind already formulating a plan of action, 1.4 million people broke out into hysterics.  
  
The death toll for the next five days was shown in the sky for all to see. It took exactly five days for the general population to calm down and start looking for the Lost City of the Elves, but by then, too many were lost.  
  
 **Day 1**  
 _In the mass of chaos stirring, no one was thinking right. Fingers were pointed and suicides committed, it went exactly how the late Peter Hale had wanted it to go. None of the players did anything more than rampage and pillage, as humans are ought to do in crowds and the tension is high. The town of Hardi was up in flames in several locations, and as the players spread out, seeking space or trying to get out of the game, so did the riots. They spread to Nishva, a port town, to Treal, a tiny town on the outskirts of The Great Forest, all the way to the Hills of Light, which was just outside the Pillared Desert. Thus ended day one._  
  
209.057 Druids in game; 5 NPC's  
    943-suicides; 0-Druidic NPC's cannot be deleted  
549.080 Werewolves in game; 9 NPC's  
    920-suicides; 1-in game quest cleared  
87.967 Elves in game; 11 NPC's  
    2.033-suicides; 1-in game glitch-file corrupted-file lost  
348.880 Mortals in game; 498.987 NPC's  
    1.120-suicides; 1.013-town riots  
198.867 Dwarves in game; 19.998 NPC's  
    1.133-suicides; 2-in game quest failed- mine collapsed  
  
 **Day 2**  
 _The second day fared no better, but now the players had new people to point their fingers at. Crowds of thousands screamed for Beta Players to step forward, for them to find this Lost City and end the game! And of the 138 Beta Players that were in game, ten came forward of their own free will. Four came forward to explain why that would be impossible, wanting the others to know of the layout change that had occurred. The rest stepped out to try to help the other players, to give them advice about what quests to take and the like. But the other players weren't interested in whatever the Beta Players had to say. It started small, shouted out by a girl who would later wind up at the bottom of a rushed crowd the very next day. Her voice carried, and with it the call for blood grew until most of the lower end of Hardi agreed. Beta Players must die, plain and simple. And thus ended the second day._  
  
208.137 Druids in game; 5 NPC's  
    920- 120 town riots- 8 beta players lynched- 792 suicides; 0-Druidic NPC's cannot be deleted  
548.362 Werewolves in game; 9 NPC's  
    718- 218 town riots- 1 beta player lynched- 499 suicides; 0-no quests accessed  
87.000 Elves in game; 11 NPC's  
    967- 346 town riots- 612 suicides; 0-quest not accessed  
348.001 Mortals in game; 497.550 NPC's  
    879- 339 town riots- 540 suicides; 1.437-town riots  
198.010 Dwarves in game; 19.002 NPC's  
    857- 403 town riots- 1 beta player lynched- 453 suicides; 996-town riots  
  
 **Day 3**  
 _This day was no better than the last. More Beta Players were found and put to death, suicides were now the main thing. It appeared that many of the buildings weren't high enough for jumping (something that was found out on the first day), and that there weren't any handy razors around (the players resorted to knives and swords anyways), but some of them were determined. And though he knew he should stay hidden, Derek Hale tried to talk down many a wandering soul who happened across his path with that wild look to their eyes. It was only the third day in, but Derek Hale was now officially an expert in the tell tale signs of suicidal people, even if he didn't want to be. Derek Hale met exactly twenty-seven people, and he only managed to talk down one. Her name was Erica Reyes, and though they both didn't know it at the time, they would become dependent on each other if they were to survive. For now, though, Derek Hale just thought that the blonde woman would try elsewhere with less meddlesome people, and Erica Reyes would come to thank that lonesome Omega, for she met a one Vernon Boyd a few days later. Thus ended the third day._  
  
207.463 Druids in game; 5 NPC's  
    674- 329 town riots- 345 suicides; 0-Druidic NPC's cannot be deleted  
547.129 Werewolves in game; 9 NPC's  
    1.233- 583 town riots- 650 suicides; 0-no quests accessed  
86.134 Elves in game; 11 NPC's  
    866- 542 town riots- 7 beta players lynched- 317 suicides; 0-quest not accessed  
347.502 Mortals in game; 496.730 NPC's  
    499- 139 town riots- 360 suicides; 820-town riots  
197.195 Dwarves in game; 18.530 NPC's  
    815- 310 town riots- 3 beta players lynched- 502 suicides; 472-town riots  
  
 **Day 4**  
 _The Beta Player lynches were now in full swing, and most of the towns were either up in smoke or on their way to becoming the next target of a riot. To say the NPC's calmed things down would be like saying that Talia Hale thought it wouldn't be fun to dress Derek Hale up in girls clothes for his first two years as a baby. As a matter of fact, since most of the towns in Magical Creatures Online catered to Mortals, it was most of the Mortal NPC's that met the bitter end of a sword or axe or magical spell. Thus ended the fourth day._  
  
207.000 Druids in game; 5 NPC's  
    463- 220 town riots- 12 beta players lynched- 231 suicides; 0-Druidic NPC's cannot be deleted  
546.546 Werewolves in game; 9 NPC's  
    583- 300 town riots- 3 beta players lynched- 280 suicides; 0-no quests accessed  
85.320 Elves in game; 11 NPC's  
    814- 327 town riots- 487 suicides; 0-quest not accessed  
346.813 Mortals in game; 495.862 NPC's  
    689- 208 town riots- 12 beta players lynched- 469 suicides; 868-town riots  
196.463 Dwarves in game; 18.400 NPC's  
    732- 410 town riots- 322 suicides; 130-town riots  
  
 **Day 5**  
 _It was here were chaos' reared head finally hung. Town riots were still in effect, suicides were still the go-to fail-safe, and Beta Player lynching still occurred this day, but the players were finally starting to wind down. The masses general fog of panic subsided a little, as Dwarvish towns got under control and no more riots occurred in their area. Of the 138 Beta Players in game, 79 remained hidden and alive (where they stayed alive, as no more lynching occurred after this day), more afraid of the players than any computer graphic villain Magical Creatures Online could concoct. The panic fog wouldn't truly lift until about a month into the game, where each and every player realized that they were stuck here for the unforeseen future. Suicides became less and less frequent as the weeks went on, until most players banded together to get out of this game. And one Derek Hale was still blissfully ignorant of the trials and tribulations to come to his front doorstep naught but three more months away. All it took was one silly Mortal who was not quite what he seemed, four Beta's who would not listen to reason, and one Elf whom shared a relation to someone Derek Hale would rather forget. But that is time that has not happened yet, today is barely the fifth day, which passed as the others had, with smoke and flames and blood and screams (how they never seemed to end). Thus ended the fifth day._  
  
206.544 Druids in game; 5 NPC's  
    456- 203 town riots- 253 suicides; 0-Druidic NPC's cannot be deleted  
545.728 Werewolves in game; 8 NPC's  
    818- 267 town riots- 1 beta player lynched- 550 suicides; 1-in game quest cleared  
84.933 Elves in game; 11 NPC's  
    387- 109 town riots- 2 beta players lynched- 276 suicides; 0-quest not accessed  
346.197 Mortals in game; 495.124 NPC's  
    616- 282 town riots- 3 beta players lynched- 331 suicides; 738-town riots  
196.000 Dwarves in game; 18.400 NPC's  
    463- 138 town riots- 6 beta players lynched- 319 suicides; 0-no Dwarvish town riots recorded


	3. Say You Meet a Crazy Person, What Then?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek Hale meets a crazy while he ponders where the Lost City might be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO SO SO SO SO SO SORRY THIS IS LATE!!!! I had MAJOR writers block as I started this chapter and I didn't know why, plus my parents finished the remodeling of their room and they've been sort of crazy with putting their bed and such back in and I had to help and then stuff happened where basically my house broke and yeah, those are my excuses *shrugs* sorry.

Derek Hale didn't know what it was about him that made certain people want to cling to him, but if he ever found out, he would stop it immediately. At least, that is what he tells himself, sometimes at a louder volume so the little voice inside of his head telling him that he liked the people around him wasn't heard. There was a guy named Isaac Lahey, who he had saved from being slashed apart by a Rouge Wolf. The idiot actually thought it was a good idea to go on a quest alone, and managed to run into one of the hardest Wolf quests there was. Luckily, Derek Hale was four levels above the Rouge and managed to injure it so Isaac Lahey could attain some experience and level up himself.  
  
Derek Hale promptly told the kid he was an idiot and that he was going to get himself killed if he didn't join a Pack. It was the idiots fault if he mistook Derek Hales words as him asking if Isaac Lahey wanted to join his Pack. And if he didn't and just stuck around like a puppy, then he was purposely doing it to piss Derek Hale off.  
  
Don't even get Derek Hale started on Erica Reyes. Sure, he could see how she was thankful that he talked down after she was going to kill herself, but did she really have to bring Vernon Boyd, her boyfriend, along with herself as she invited them both to hang with Derek Hale and Isaac Lahey? She even closed down her shop when she claimed she had more Geld (in game money) than she knew what to do with and it was time to travel, "And what better way to do it, than with a grumpy Alpha and his three Beta's?" Which made Derek Hale splutter because **A** , he was no Alpha, and **B** , he didn't want these three with him because that meant that he would stand out more and might get noticed as Peter Hale's nephew, and that would not be good.  
  
But no matter how many times he's tried to escape or talk them out of following him, the three would insist on being with him. And if he stopped trying after the third week with them trailing him, well, no one was going to bring that up in case Derek Hale started up again.  
  
He didn't even know why Scott McCall stayed with him, they argued about every little thing. Which road to take, when to take rest stops and even about what they were going to have for dinner that night. Allison Argent, the Elf who accompanied him, usually had Isaac Lahey to break them up, which was unfair because Derek Hale could never yell or hit the kid, and he seemed to have the same effect on Scott McCall too. Derek Hale hated to admit it, mostly because he still held a grudge against her aunt, but he didn't mind Aliison Argent as much as he pretended to. He would hardly talk to her other than giving her brief, gruff orders about where to point her bow, or if she should use magic or not.  
  
All of his Pack knew he was a Beta Player, but only Allison Argent knew of his other secret, and that was only due to the fact that her aunt was the one who almost ruined his life. The first night that her and Scott McCall had stayed with their Pack, she waited for the rest to fall asleep before apologizing for her aunt. He just shrugged her off, but what she said next floored him. "Kate's in here too. I thought I should tell you just in case you run across her. I know you don't want anyone to know about who you are, but maybe putting a little more trust in your Pack would be beneficial. Especially since we are all stuck in here until we find this Lost City. Good night Derek."  
  
He stubbornly refused to look for Kate Argent in every face that he came across, shrugging it off as one of those things that you can't control, but every time he stepped foot in a city or town, he wouldn't relax until they were on the road again. Thankfully his Pack knew better than to ask for the reason behind his tension. Derek Hale didn't like the pitying looks Allison Argent sent him every time. but he just soldiered on, refusing to feel bothered.  
  
Two and a half months were spent with them just roaming the land. Derek Hale knew that his uncle changed the landscape, but somethings didn't change. Like the fact that The Great Forest was a death trap if you weren't at least a level 200. And even then you rarely came back out. So when it was announced that scouting parties were to be sent to not only The Great Forest, but also the Pillared Desert, Derek Hale knew that they were going to loose more players. He left his Pack at the border of the Pillared Desert, the Hills of Light, which was the least safest place in game, considering that you could be killed by anything there, but Derek Hale had to chance it. If he could save lives, then his Pack could put up with the occasional disturbance.  
  
It was to be that about 13.000 Druids and Werewolves would travel through The Great Forest with the help of 3.000 Mortal NPC's who said that they would lead the players through. 12.000 would go to the Pillared Desert, with 3.000 Mortal NPC's of their own to guide them. Derek Hale had to warn them that they weren't strong enough. He couldn't let all these people die in vain. He sought out the leader who was in charge of the Pillared Desert expedition.  
  
"Please! Please listen to me! You aren't ready! You can't go in there yet!" He screamed outside the camp. So far no one had listened to him. "You'll die if you go in there! You aren't leveled up enough! **_PLEASE_**!" He snarled the last bit, which made severeal NPC's run away in fright, which just made it all that more pitiful, because if they were scared of just him, then they weren't ready to guide this group through the Pillared Desert.  
  
He was about to march up to any tent and try to scare them out of going, but then a Mortal strolled over to him lke she had all the time in the world. "You trying to warn them away from going too." She said it more like a statement than a question, but Derek Hale still nodded. "Yeah, well, I've been trying since the idiots cooked up the stupid idea. Jackson, my boyfriend, was trying as well. He knows the guy who's leading the expedition over at that forest, but from what I heard, he was shot down, too. Anyway, I just thought you ought to know that its a waste of time. Plus, from what Jackson has told me, the group that's assigned to that giant forest has already gone inside. Might as well call them dead."  
  
Derek Hale looked at her for a second before coming to his senses. "How do you know about how dangerous they are?" He asked, wondering if she was a Beta Player as well. She just scoffed. "Peter Hale, the creepo, asked me to do the coding on those two regions, so I made them almost impossible to get through unless you were at least at a good enough level, like 180 or something. But then the douche went and changed my programming and you now have to be higher than that, but I don't know by how much." She flicked her hair off her left shoulder in irritation, and Derek Hale pegged her as a girl who hated not knowing the answer to something.  
  
"Lydia Martin by the way." She said, almost as an afterthought. "Derek," Derek Hale said, holding out his hand. She looked at it and then up at him, her gaze saying that she knew exactly who he was. Derek Hale knew right then that Lydia Martin was a scary human being and also that he wanted her to be in his Pack. "Do you want to go somewhere where your opnions and inputs will matter?" He asked her, his hand still out for her to shake. She gave him the once over again before 'hmm'ing and finally shook his hand. It was then that Derek Hale knew that with her, they might actually have a chance to find The Lost City of the Elves.  
  
Half a month later, they were on the road to Tryst, the town where Erica Reyes had set up shop, due to its name no doubt, to gather information about what happened to the scouting parties. It seems like the only ones who _weren't_ dropping like flies were the Dwarves, but they were needed to mine and such for Geld and Magics stuff for Druids and such. Also, their forges were invaluable, and several hundred Elves were staying in Dwarvish towns and cities to learn how to make weapons so that the Dwarves weren't put out from the demand.  
  
What they found out was not good. Since only certain cities had skies that splayed the costs of the dead, once they entered Tryst, all Derek Hale had to do was look up. He clenched his fists and tried to reign in his anger. Every single person who had went into either The Great Forest or the Pillared Desert, _every single one of them_ was dead. Derek Hale faintly heard Allison Argent ask how long the list had been displayed for, and the Mortal NPC responded, "Since the beginning." in the cold, detached way that it was programmed for, needing no other 'emotions' since the NPC worked at a shop.  
  
Jackson Whittemore snorted, a small smile playing on his lips. Derek Hale hated the bastard most of the time, and if it wasn't for the fact that he was part of the deal with them getting Lydia Martin, then Derek Hale would've made sure Jackson Whittemore was part of that list. Scott McCall hated the guy as well, so at least Derek Hale didn't have to step in and shout at the idiot for the third time in the past ten minutes. It was annoying how much one guy could get on his nerves, and Jackson Whittemore seemed like the kind of guy who, when given the option between stopping his antics or continuing, would rather continue because he knows how much you hate it.  
  
Erica Reyes and Vernon Boyd went to get supplies and find out more information, since they were the most adept at gathering information. Lydia Martin was also good at getting information, but she was better at haggling for better prices and knew the best places for weapons or clothes items, so she went along with them, occasionally stopping to look at something or other. She dragged Jackson Whittemore with her, cutting him off from starting a fight with Scott McCall, who grudgingly followed, already resigned to the fact that he was always going to be the designated bag holder, no matter if they were in a virtual world.  
  
Scott McCall, Allison Argent, and Isaac Lahey left as well, running off to who knows where to do who knows what. Derek Hale wasn't one to pry, besides, he once walked in on them, and he always took the long way around camp if he happened upon their tent. Derek Hale, with that thought in mind, quickly went in the opposite direction of the trio, into the side forest that his Pack had just come from.  
  
No matter if he preferred his Pack to wandering alone, Derek Hale still enjoyed his alone time, which the group so graciously granted him every time they arrived at a port or town. Whether they did it conciously or unconciously, Derek Hale did not know, but he thanked them (silently) nonetheless. He always did like to walk in the woods back in reality, and in thie virtual place, it was no different. Though the trees were different and emitted no smell, Derek Hale closed his eyes and pretended the simulated sky that shone down upon him was the one he can only vaguely remember now.  
  
That was the thing that made Derek Hale scared, not that they might never find the Lost City of the Elves, but that he might one day wake up and not remember what reality was like. That he might forget his family members faces, forget how his mother laughed, or how Laura teased him, or how he was always pestered into helping Cora with her homework. He could already not remember what real sunlight felt like as it danced across his skin, nor what grass felt and smelled like, what the leaves sounded like as the wind rustled through them, and this made him very frightened. But what chilled him to the bone, what really made him feel that deep pit of dred in his stomach, was that he actually _preferred_ this world, where life was simple, no pressure to find a job nor to find someone and settle down. Derek Hale was very afraid of this side of him and he never thought these thoughts around the others, scared that that might somehow be enough for them to know, so he only thought them when he was alone, what Lydia Martin and Erica Reyes called his "Brood Time".  
  
He made his way over to the base of one tree, thankful that he nagged his uncle into making the trees diverse to give the game "a more realistic effect", because otherwise, he wouldn't be able to find his way back to the road into town. It was a funny thought that, a Werewolf getting lost in the woods. Derek Hale smiled faintly as he let his head rest against the tree, his hands at his sides, brushing over the simulated earth, which felt like paper as he moved his fingers in random patterns across the surface.   
  
Behind his eyes, he pulled up the map he had been carefully creating as they wandered over the Realm. To the North was the Elven towns and cities, to the East were the Werewolf territories, West held the Mortal towns and cities, South the mines of the Dwarves, and at the Center were the Five Cities of the Druids, which dispersed into towns and then into the grounds of the other Creatures. The Great Forest lay at the heart of the Realm, dividing the Five Cities into a pentagonal shape, while the Pillared Desert lay just past the mines of the Dwarves, guarded by the only mountain range in the game, the Hills of Light.  
  
Now that he was thinking about it, Derek Hale drew to the conclusion that the Lost City had to lay somewhere in either The Great Forest or the Pillared Desert, but if that were so, then it seemed as if Peter Hale didn't want anyone leaving the game, and if that were so, _why_? Why this game, why now, why do this to innocent people? _Why, why, why_. But Derek Hale knew that if he ever fully headed down that road then there was no coming back. He had to focus on the present, on the facts and deal only with theories which led towards their release from this place.  
  
Derek Hale sighed, rubbing his eyes, wondering how much time has past and how much longer his Pack would be. It wasn't like they had anywhere else to be, but he always felt better once they were all together and on the road. He knew it was silly, but Derek Hale considered the Pack his family, and if there was one thing Derek Hale knew how to do, it was protect his family. He didn't go through the whole Kate Argent debacle for nothing.  
  
Derek Hale sighed again, feeling as if he were being not only emotionally, but also physically, drained. Which is when something fell atop his head. Whatever it was made a noise before wriggling its way into Derek Hales lap. Derek Hale opened his mouth to shout at whoever decided that landing on him was a good idea, but his words died on his lips as he took a look at what the Mortal was wearing. And it just had to be a weirdo that he ran into. Said Mortal was dressed exclusively in a blaring red, paired with random strips of black and deep blue, his boots were well worn and seemed to being on the verge of falling apart, he had gold star cartlidge earrings, which Derek Hale didn't know you could get in game, which had a tiny golden chain leading away from the top point of the star to a golden cuff along the outer part of his ears. His hair was buzzed close to his head, which made the scar that led from the edge of his right eyebrow to the mid part of his head stand out in stark contrast.  
  
Once his initial shock wore off, Derek Hale stood up and dumped the Mortal on the ground. "What the hell?" Derek Hale asked, noting how his voice didn't convey nearly enough anger that he had felt before he knew what this stranger looked like. As it was, Derek Hale was terribly curious about this stranger, which was unlike him, but he felt like it was justified seeing as how odd the Mortal looked. The Mortal just got to his feet as if Derek Hale hadn't shoved him from his lap, smiled and then held out his hand. "Sorry about that. I was just so excited about seeing another person that I lost my footing and fell on you." Derek Hale just stared at the Mortal, wondering what he was talking about, and also, why the hell was he bouncing on the balls of his feet.  
  
 _If you ignore it, it'll eventually go away_ , Derek Hale thought to himself, already walking towards the road. The Mortal just followed after him, his mouth spewing random words as if his brain to mouth filter was never even put in place. And he never seemed to be still, some part of him had to be moving, which Derek Hale was defintely _not_ paying attention to as he was ignoring the Mortal in favour of looking for the road. And he had just found it and was about to step out onto the pathway when the Mortal grabbed him by the back of his jacket and yanked him back into the woods.   
  
" **NO**!" He shouted and then scooted away a little from Derek Hale as Derek Hale gathered his bearings to try to walk out to the road again. " _Are you crazy?!_ " The kid shouted, which, coming from him, was pretty rich. "You can't go out there! He's watching! Why do you think I hide in the trees?" And yeah, Derek Hale was cursing his luck in the back of his mind as the Mortal kept talking. "The trees conceal you! That's why I never go near the towns!" He kept talking, but Derek Hale wasn't paying attention, he shoved past the crazy person and stepped into the road and started walking towards the town. If Derek Hale felt a little miffed that the Mortal didn't follow him into town, he wasn't telling anybody.  
  
As he met up with his Pack who were now well equipped and heading out towards the trail head which lead vaguely in the direction of one of the Five Citites, Derek Hale turned to the other forest where he saw a flash of red before it disappeared. He quickly turned back around and grumbled to himself before breaking ahead of the group in his haste to get as far away from the crazy person as possible.  
  


* * *

  
  
**Month 3**  
 _Accounting for the missed months in between and what not._  
  
200.103 Druids in game; 5 NPC's  
    6.441- 12 suicides- 30 in game quests- 6.399 The Great Forest; 0-Druidic NPC's cannot be deleted  
539.029 Werewolves in game; 0 NPC's  
    6.699- 9 suicides- 53 in game quests- 6.637 The Great Forest; 8-all in game quests cleared  
78.832 Elves in game; 11 NPC's  
    6.101- 11 suicides- 64 in game quests- 6.026 the Pillared Desert; 0-quest not accessed  
340.000 Mortals in game; 489.320 NPC's  
    6.197- 15 suicides- 70 in game quests- 6.112 the Pillared Desert; 5.804- 50 in game quests- 2.877 The Great Forest- 2.877 the Pillared Desert  
190.073 Dwarves in game; 16.875 NPC's  
    5.927- 4 suicides- 83 in game quests- 5.840 mine collapses; 1.525-mine collapses


	4. So You Find Out Some Shocking News

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek Hales pack finds Stiles, who imparts some terrifying news on them. Also Derek is really beginning to hate how people hes just met know who he is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i wont excuse that this is late, i know it is and i accept that.  
> anywho, i want to know if y'all would like to know about my other Teen Wolf AU ideas, if so comment and i'll start leaving them in the footnotes.  
> Also: let me know your guesses on who Stiles is :)

Every time Derek Hale looked out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of obnoxious red and he wondered if he was seeing things. Maybe being near crazy makes you start to go crazy, maybe he's been infected since day one from his uncle Peter Hale and the crazy Mortal just worsened the effects.  
  
The bad thing about all this, though, was the fact that the others also saw the flash of the repulsive colour that was the crazy Mortals jacket. At first they thought it was a glitch in the system, but then they kept seeing it.  
  
Derek Hale can't attest for everyone, but he was pretty sure that the Pack was close to just going into the woods and finding whatever was following them. The only reason they hadn't done that the moment they figured that it wasn't a glitch, was because Derek Hale told them that if they ignored it, then maybe it would go away. Four days later, and the flash of bright red was still appearing. It was not the happiest day of Derek Hales life when Scott McCall decided he would go into the woods and try to see what the hell had been following them for the better part of a week.  
  
"I'll be right back, but just in case, if I don't come back in ten minutes, Derek, come after me." And with that, Scott McCall disappeared into the trees. Derek Hale wasn't going to dwell on the fact that the boy commanded him, but instead focused on the fact that Scott McCall was going to meet a person who potentially knew who he was. There were enough people in his Pack that knew who he was as it was, so as soon as the ten minute marker passed with no sign of Scott McCall, Derek Hale rushed into the forest himself, following the sounds of talking.  
  
When he came upon the duo, he was met with the sight of the two of them laughing. The Mortal was sitting on a low branch on one tree, while Scott McCall was leaning against the trunk, a smile on his face as he talked to the Mortal. They didn't even turn to him when he cleared his throat, instead talking more. The Mortal was telling Scott McCall something that was apparently amusing enough that the boy couldn't help but laugh at every other word that came out of the Mortals mouth.  
  
"Scott," Derek Hale called, trying to reign in his anger, it wouldn't do good to yell at the Beta in front of the Mortal who apparently found Scott McCall good company. The Beta finally noticed Derek Hales presence, straightening up from the tree and the smile wiping off of his face completely. "Derek. What- Its already been ten minutes?" Scott McCall asked, changing his question mid-thought. Derek Hale just nodded.  
  
The Mortal smiled at Derek Hale before jumping down from his branch and walking over to him. "I didn't introduce myself last time. The name is Stiles." And with that, the Mortal held  out his hand. Derek Hale eyed it skeptically, still aware of how crazy the kid was. "Wait, you've already met before? Derek." Scott McCall asked, turning right towards him, a small frown playing on his lips.  
  
The Mortal Stiles just laughed at that robustly, putting his hand to better use by slapping Scott McCall across the back. "Oh buddy, I'm afraid Derek here doesn't like me much and I don't blame him." At these words, Scott McCall frowned more, turning that famous puppy dog stare towards Derek Hale. Derek Hale just scowled. "He's crazy Scott." He told the boy by way of explanation. Stiles laughed again. "That is the furthest thing from what I am. In fact, I think I'm the sanest person in this whole game. Speaking of which, do you mind if I ascend again? Being on the ground is not wise in the slightest." Stiles rambled, taking his hand from Scott McCalls back and then walking over to the tree he had jumped down from, where he then sat back on the tree branch, sighing happily as soon as his feet left the ground.  
  
Derek Hale looked at Scott McCall as if to say 'See, I told you so.' Scott McCall himself looked as if he were starting to believe Derek Hales claim that the Mortal was indeed crazy. Who else would claim to be the sane one and then state that standing was not wise? Crazy people, that's who. Also, Derek Hale was certain that this Stiles was secreting things away from them, like there was more to him than he let on, and that this whole 'Being on the ground is not wise' thing was somehow an act and not an act at the same time.  
  
Scott McCall shook his head slightly before speaking again. "Stiles said he was following us because he was curious about something. He also said something a door, but I think that was more for himself than anything else." Derek Hale said nothing to this, so Scott McCall carried on. "He seems harmless, and is actually great if you give him a chance Derek." This made Derek Hale roll his eyes. Trust Scott McCall to make friends with a crazy stranger in ten minutes. Derek Hale thought that the kid could make friends with anybody he was such a saint. There were plenty of faults the kid had, but his overall appearance plus his genuine personality made a killer combination and somewhere deep down even Derek Hale liked him.  
  
"Whatever you say Scott, but are we going to get back to the Pack? They must be about to burst in here and demand whats going on any second now." Derek Hale asked him, before proceeding to interrupt whatever the kid was going to say. "And don't say he should come with us because, if you hadn't noticed, he doesn't really like normal travel and won't leave this forest. Also he's crazy."  
  
"I resent that." Stiles said softly, his legs swinging lazily beneath him. Derek Hale barely spared him a glance. Scott McCall looked torn, as if he were an actual puppy and didn't want his new toy being taken from him. But before anyone else had a chance to talk, the rest of the pack burst into view, each with a distinct reaction to Stiles.  
  
Erica Reyes eyed him up and down, as if wondering what the hideously bright baggy jacket hid beneath it. Allison Argent took a defensive pose, her hand coming to rest at the blade on her thigh, while her right hand gripped her bow tightly. Vernon Boyd showed nothing on the outside, but Derek Hale knew he was ready to whip out his claws if it came to it. Jackson Whittemore sneered at Stiles, as if already knowing that the boy was crazy and saying that he was better than him, which, to be fair, was Jackson Whittemores point of view all the time. Isaac Lahey looked at Scott McCall to see if the newcomer was okay, which Derek Hale didn't like, but tolerated. Lydia Martin also sized him up, but had this calculating look in her eye, as if she was trying to place him or something.  
  
"Is this who was following us?" Lydia Martin asked at last, breaking the silence. Stiles nodded, exaggerating the movement as he increased the pace of his legs swinging. "Yep," he told her, popping the 'p'. "Names Stiles." And that got everybody either snorting or asking what the hell that was. Stiles looked as if he enjoyed the fuss. He caught Derek Hale looking at him and winked before turning back to the rest of the Pack. "You know the grounds unsafe, right?" He asked, stopping the movement of his legs, his face going back to blank as if to say that this topic were serious.  
  
Derek Hale thought that Lydia Martin would immediately dismiss him as being insane, but her gaze sharpened instantly, her hand going up to stop Jackson Whittemore from saying anything. "What did you just say?" She asked him, her voice sharp, which effectively made everyone sober up from their thoughts and look at the boy in the tree. If Lydia Martin was concerned about something, it was usually a big deal.  
  
Stiles looked at her unblinkingly, as if appraising her for seeing the danger he was telling them about. "The ground isn't safe. The sky isn't safe, no where is safe in this game. He's always watching. That's why I stay hidden." Lydia Martin looked as if she were processing this information. Jackson Whittemore took this chance of silence to get in his two cents. "What the hell does that even mean? Are you a nutjob? 'The sky isn't safe'? What the hell have you been smoking?" Jackson Whittemore laughed before being hit by Lydia Martin. "Shut up Jackson!" She shrieked.  
  
She walked up to Stiles, Allison Argent trailing a little behind her, as if to tell the kid that if he tried anything, she would kill him, fellow trapee be damned. Stiles payed the Elf no mind as he looked solely at Lydia Martin, staring in her eyes for a long time before smiling hugely. "You are a conundrum, aren't you?" He told her, which made her step back slightly. "Look at you, thinking that the game is just black and white. I bet you don't even know what you are, do you?" Stiles looked out at the rest of the Pack before landing his eyes on Derek Hales. "None of you know what you are, do you?" He repeated.  
  
Erica Reyes took a step back into Vernon Boyd, which meant she was sufficiently freaked out enough that she needed some type of reassurance. This made Derek Hale tense up. If Erica Reyes was creeped out, then things were bad. Just as he was about to shout something, what, he really didn't know, just anything to make sure that this random kid stopped freaking his Pack out, Scott McCall spoke up. "What do you mean Stiles, 'what we are'? Most of us are Werewolves. Allison is an Elf and Lydia is a Mortal like you." This made a sinister smile splay across the kids face for a split second before it was replaced by a brighter one. "If you say so, dude."  
  
And before anybody else could say anything else, Stiles stood up on the branch and hopped to a different tree, and then a different one, and then a different one, before he was out of sight altogether. No one moved, too shocked by what this stranger had said to do anything but stand there dumbstruck.  
  
~~~~~  
  
Back on the road, a few hours after their encounter with Stiles, Derek Hale kept coming back to that split second where Stiles' face made a shockingly scary smile. It haunted Derek Hale in a way that he couldn't place. Maybe it stayed in his mind because he could see the fear behind it, or that he couldn't place the kid, like at all. Derek Hale knew most things in this world, being one of the helpers in designing it and having a say in most of the content and in-game quests. But Stiles, Siles Derek Hale could not place. He didn't fit into any category Derek Hale had for the people trapped in this world. There were the ones who were resigned to this fate, who sluggishly went about playing, not caring one way or the other if they died. There were the ones who had almost too much hope, who would stand on a different soapbox each week, spewing one thing or another about working together and everybody doing their part. There were the ones with no hope, who usually committed suicide or just sat in a random town tavern wishing that they could actually get drunk. But Stiles didn't fit into any of these. Not even the ones who knew too much, which Derek Hale compiled after running into Betas, for Stiles seemed as if he knew everything, not too much. It was as if Stiles held more than secrets, but what exactly he knew, Derek Hale couldn't even guess and it was driving him mad.  
  
When they stopped for the night, Derek Hale realized they all hadn't said much that evening, as if they too were digesting the words of Stiles. And as they sat around the fire, Derek Hale knew he had to break this silence, lest it last into the next day. "Why did you ask him to repeat what he said about the ground Lydia?" he asked, which made every head pop up from their musings.  
  
Lydia Martin looked as if she were gathering her thoughts before squaring her shoulders to answer. "When I was coding for Peter, I ran across several strings of numbers and letters, half-codes maybe, which, when I brought them up to Peter, he just told me to ignore. Being me, I really couldn't let it go, though, so when I finished my coding for the day, I would search for those numbers and letters again, and the last time I saw them, I wrote them down and asked a friend of mine, Danny, what he thought they were. Danny works for a bog computer company." Lydia Martin began, throwing in the last bit as an afterthought, her voice a bit muted as she said it, as if thinking of the past when it was spoken.  
  
"Anyways, he said that he hadn't really seen software like it and if I was asking what it was, then it must be really new and advanced. He showed it around his R&D lab and they supposed it might be a program that allowed the user to manipulate other programs while they were running." When she looked up and was met with blank stares, she sighed. "Basically it was a program that could make a person in game be able to do anything they wanted, like never die or make a certain quest super easy or whatever."  
  
"So, Peter basically can control this entire game any way if he wanted?" Scott McCall asked, voicing the very question on all their minds. Lydia Martin just nodded, her gaze turning to the fire.  
  
None of them slept well that night.  
  
~~~~~  
  
They didn't see hide nor hair from Stiles for the better part of a week, even when they sometimes took a detour into the woods. Scott McCall was disappointed, but hid it well enough. Even Derek Hale was disappointed when they came up empty in their searches for the elusive boy. What Lydia Martin had said that night had got him thinking. He knew that his uncle was crazy, but this was a whole new level. If Peter Hale had the power to control the whole game, then he might not let anyone find the Lost City, and they might be trapped here forever. Also, Derek Hale wondered, how did Stiles, a random player, find out about this new-found development?  
  
Derek Hale did not like the fact that the more he found out, the more he knew he knew nothing at all. And he did not like the fact that Stiles apparently knew more than he was telling, if his previous creepy words were anything to go by. And going around and around in his head was not helping anything, especially his mood. Everyone was a little muter this week, but Derek Hale was especially sour as the days went by and no explanation arrived as to how Stiles knew what he did.  
  
It also didn't help that the Pack was sufficiently creeped out by this knowledge and wanted to do what Stiles was doing and basically hide in the trees. Derek Hale not only told them that it would be impossible to hide forever, but also that it was an impractical way to deal with the situation.  
  
Scott McCall disagreed. "We could hook up with Stiles and pool our experiences together with his and work out a plan to find the Lost City. I mean, with Lydia on our side and Stiles' viewings of the inner workings of this game, we could beat Peter at his own game." Unfortunately, Scott McCall was right. A fact which Derek Hale brooded over for a day or two before finally agreeing to seek out Stiles the next day.  
  
This turned out to be moot because Derek Hale woke up to the sound of laughter, which he had not heard for quite some time. He opened one eye to see Stiles cooking something over the fire, his mouth spread out in a wide smile as he talked to someone that Derek Hale could not see. He assumed it was Scott McCall judging by the way the conversation flow was easygoing and smooth, nothing at all like the grilling that would be happening if any other member would doing if they were awake.  
  
Derek Hale sighed before sitting up from his pack and stretching. He was going to treat today like every other day and do his daily routine before acknowledging Stiles' presence. Today was going to be a long day.  
  
  
 **Month 4**  
  
200.103 Druids in game; 5 NPC's  
    0-no Druidic deaths recorded; 0-Druidic NPC's cannot be deleted  
539.029 Werewolves in game; 0 NPC's  
    0-no Werewolve deaths recorded; 8-all in game quests cleared  
78.832 Elves in game; 11 NPC's  
    0-no Elvic deaths recorded; 0-quest not accessed  
340.000 Mortals in game; 489.320 NPC's  
    0-no Mortal deaths recorded; 0-no NPC's have been deleted  
190.073 Dwarves in game; 16.875 NPC's  
    0-no Dwarvic deaths have been recorded; 0-no NPC;s have been deleted


End file.
